The state of free speech in India has come under pressure and there is a lot of apprehension about what is happening, said N. Ram, chairman, Kasturi and Sons Limited.
Inaugurating the Quaide Milleth Internation1al Academy of Media Studies here on Sunday, Mr. Ram said a good newspaper can be a forum for exchange of opinion, within certain limits — the limits being, it has to be civil. “It cannot be informed by an undercurrent of hate, contempt and disrespect. It has to be civil and this is made possible by journalism.” He said reporting needs to be kept separate from opinionating. “As long as you are credible, I think you may progress. But it is not enough to play this role. The second function is a critical function which is something that goes beneath the surface and verifies things,” he said. “It is hard to define the word ‘credible.’ It is easier to recognise it in practice. It is something that can build trust among readers, viewers of television news and listeners of radio news,” he noted.
“The communal project is being hidden now, cloaked in other terms as nationalism, ultra nationalism, sometimes the protection of India’s security, but at the heart of it, the essence of it is communalism and hate politics.”
Quaide Milleth Educational and Social Trust general secretary M.G. Dawood Miakhan said the media can play a role in creating peace and harmony. SIET Trust chairman Mooza Raza said the media was the unacknowledged legislators, changing the laws of the country. Former Mayor Saidai Duraisamy said media studies should focus on ethical values.
Inaugurating the Quaide Milleth Internation1al Academy of Media Studies here on Sunday, Mr. Ram said a good newspaper can be a forum for exchange of opinion, within certain limits — the limits being, it has to be civil. “It cannot be informed by an undercurrent of hate, contempt and disrespect. It has to be civil and this is made possible by journalism.” He said reporting needs to be kept separate from opinionating. “As long as you are credible, I think you may progress. But it is not enough to play this role. The second function is a critical function which is something that goes beneath the surface and verifies things,” he said. “It is hard to define the word ‘credible.’ It is easier to recognise it in practice. It is something that can build trust among readers, viewers of television news and listeners of radio news,” he noted.
“The communal project is being hidden now, cloaked in other terms as nationalism, ultra nationalism, sometimes the protection of India’s security, but at the heart of it, the essence of it is communalism and hate politics.”
Quaide Milleth Educational and Social Trust general secretary M.G. Dawood Miakhan said the media can play a role in creating peace and harmony. SIET Trust chairman Mooza Raza said the media was the unacknowledged legislators, changing the laws of the country. Former Mayor Saidai Duraisamy said media studies should focus on ethical values.